What are some of your favorite childhood memories?
My best childhood memories are all associated with my grandparents. It is because of them that I am the person I am today.
At what age did you begin writing? Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
I was seven, in first grade in computer lab, and wrote about a building, except it was spelled “bilding,” and if I remember correctly, won the parish writing award for my grade that year. The next year I won as well, and I never really stopped. Even before publishing, I was always creating stories. If not on paper, in my head.
What is your ideal setting to write in?
I am always writing in a sense. Everywhere I go, in all environments, I am mentally plotting. I carry notebooks with me. I take my laptop everywhere. I don’t need a specific environment. I just need to words to come.
Who is your target audience?
Anyone over 18 with a love of broken bad boys, emotional turmoil, angst, anger, lust, love, and plenty of sexy times.
How did you come up with the plot of your novel, Shed My Skin?
Shed My Skin is a funny thing. I knew when I finished Fighting for His Life, that my little side character, Maddox Masters, had a story to tell. By the time I finished Taking His Victory, I knew that story was going to be my best yet hardest hitting book. Maddox is complicated and complex and things had to develop in the prior books before his story could come to fruition. I also draw inspiration very heavily from music. As the song Shed My Skin by Alter Bridge kept playing on my radio, I knew that was Maddox’s song. The more I listened, the more I knew where it was going. The lyrics of Shed My Skin started the story.
“I am not alone, I live with the memories, regret is my home. This is my true freedom. I’m searching for something but found less than nothing. I watch the rising sun. I hope I find some peace today, I hope I find my way. I hope I find myself I hope I find my way. I hope I find some peace I hope I shed my skin.” – Alter Bridge, Shed My Skin
Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?
There are two parts to being a writer—the writing and the story. The writing is the technical aspect and can be learned by anyone, or at the very least, a good editor can help. But for a story to be compelling, for it to reach out and grab someone, it needs to evoke emotions, and if a writer doesn’t feel it, how can they expect a reader to? Whether those emotions be joy, heartbreak, fear, or excitement, it needs to be felt by the writer to be properly conveyed on the pages. Without it, even the most technically perfect writers will fall flat.
Who inspired the character of Ryder in Break Me Down?
Ryder and Maddox are both strongly influenced by my husband. They are two sides of the same coin, or in this case, two sides of the same man. It’s why they are so connected in the story. You don’t get one without the other. Ryder is the part of my husband that struggles with controlling his emotions and expressing them in a healthy way. He is the one that is a raging ball of fire and passion and adrenaline that has to come out in some form before it explodes. Maddox is the side of my husband that shoves everything down. Avoids and ignores his feelings to protect everyone else. Maddox is an implosion of emotion and feeling.
What is your writing dream? How close do you think you are to achieving it?
My dream is become a mysterious, reclusive author living in a private villa overlooking the ocean. As to whether I’m close to achieving that dream...I wouldn’t be very mysterious if I gave you the answer, would I?
What role did your family play in helping you to pursue your dreams of writing?
My husband and children support me fiercely. They allow me to spend sometimes as many as twenty hours a day at my computer working on something, always book related.
What's your best social media marketing tip?
Ads—learn them, love them, use them. But remember, nothing is instant and it takes money to make money.
How will the craft of storytelling change in the future? How can novelists, filmmakers, television producers, and game designers adapt?
It seems to me that storytelling has already changed. We now have ebooks and reading apps that allow writers to pursue their dreams whereas before, traditional publishing would have made things much more difficult to get the stories out there. I believe this influence comes from television/film. The interest in continuing stories has authors writing, whether in vella form or in book series, much the same way. As such, it's actually storytellers adapting to the mixed media market.
How many hours in a day do you write? Have you ever pulled an all-nighter writing?
Some days, I sit at my computer working on book related things without writing a word, whereas others I’ve written from the time I wake up until I fall asleep. But I work between 15-20 hours a day nearly seven days a week on book related things. And my best hours for writing are from 10 pm to 4 am.
How does writing make you feel? When you're not writing, what does a normal day for you look like?
Strange as this may seem to anyone who has read my books, I am an emotional avoider. I don’t try to dive into my feeling, and in fact, spend much of my time bottling them up. Writing (and reading) is the way I get those bottled up emotions and feelings out. It’s the time I ca allow myself to feel without feeling judged or vulnerable. As far as a normal day when I’m not writing, I am always writing. Even if it’s driving or shopping for groceries, I am writing in some way.
What is the next book you are looking forward to writing? What is it about?
The next book will be Breathe Again. It is the final book of Sons of Sin and the conclusion of Maddox Masters story.
When did you join AllAuthor? What do you think of the experience so far?
It was sometime last year at the encouragement of a friend for a cover contest. So far the experience has been pleasant and positive. It has been a nice way to get my work out to readers that may not have known me before.
